with Steve Pratt, Author of the hit book Earn It
with Steve Pratt, Author of the hit book Earn It
CASE STUDY
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Artificial intelligence was becoming part of nearly every business conversation, but much of the discussion lived at two unhelpful extremes. Technical research could feel inaccessible to business leaders, while broad predictions and industry hype offered little guidance to people making real decisions.
Wharton brought rigorous academic research and faculty expertise to the subject. Accenture brought practical experience helping organizations apply AI in the real world. Together, they had a valuable point of view, but the challenge was turning that expertise into a podcast that senior business audiences could understand, trust and use.
They did not need another show debating whether AI would change business. They needed a platform that could explore where AI was already working, what organizations were learning and what leaders should do next.
Wharton, Accenture and JAR built Where AI Works around one practical editorial question:
Where is artificial intelligence creating real value, and what can business leaders learn from it?
That question kept the show focused. Rather than drifting into abstract predictions or technical explanation for its own sake, each episode examined real applications, implementation challenges, leadership decisions and the distance between AI’s promise and its actual performance.
JAR supported the show with podcast strategy, editorial development, research and writing, guest identification and coordination, guest preparation, remote recording, audio production, sound design, distribution support and podcast analytics.
The editorial model brought together three forms of authority: Wharton’s academic research, Accenture’s applied business experience and guests with direct knowledge of using AI inside organizations. That combination gave the podcast credibility without making it inaccessible.
The result was a show that did more than describe the future of AI. It examined the work already happening and helped listeners understand what it meant for their own organizations.
Wharton and Accenture did not need help adding another voice to the AI conversation. They needed to define the role they wanted the podcast to play within it.
Using the JAR System, the team clarified the podcast’s job, identified the leaders it needed to serve and established what meaningful performance would look like. That clarity shaped the editorial strategy from the beginning.
Research became practical conversation. Technical possibility became business application. Individual interviews became a five-season thought-leadership platform.
The result was more than 20,000 unique listeners, 1,413 followers and the strongest audience consumption of the series in Season Five.
Job. Audience. Result.
The JAR System turned AI expertise into something business leaders could use.
The JAR System helped Wharton and Accenture organize research, practitioner experience and audience needs around one clear purpose.
| Before | After applying the JAR System |
|---|---|
| Discuss artificial intelligence broadly | Explore where AI is creating real business value |
| Lead with research or technical expertise | Lead with the decisions and challenges facing business leaders |
| Serve anyone interested in AI | Serve leaders responsible for evaluating and applying AI |
| Measure output and total reach | Measure audience growth, followers and sustained attention |
| Produce a limited content series | Build a five-season thought-leadership platform |
Wharton and Accenture already had deep authority in artificial intelligence, but authority alone does not guarantee that an audience will listen.
The podcast became useful when academic insight and practical experience were shaped around the questions business leaders were already facing. Where is AI working now? What does implementation actually require? What separates useful applications from expensive experiments? How should leaders make decisions when the technology keeps changing?
The JAR System gave those questions a clear editorial home. That is what allowed the podcast to grow beyond a series of interviews and become a five-season thought-leadership platform.
Before developing episodes, JAR worked with Wharton and Accenture to define the podcast’s Job, Audience and Result.
The podcast needed to connect credible AI research with practical business application. Its role was not simply to explain what artificial intelligence could do, but to show where it was already creating value, what implementation required and which assumptions business leaders needed to question.
The show was built for executives, technology leaders, operators and decision-makers responsible for evaluating or applying AI inside their organizations. These listeners did not need another general introduction to the subject. They needed examples, evidence and informed judgment.
Success meant building a sustained thought-leadership platform that could reach a relevant business audience, convert listeners into followers, hold attention across multiple seasons and showcase the expertise of Wharton and Accenture without turning the show into a lecture or sales vehicle.
Once the Job, Audience and Result were clear, the team could make sharper decisions about guests, topics, episode structure, promotion and measurement.
Across five seasons, Where AI Works reached 20,426 unique listeners, giving Wharton and Accenture a sustained platform for bringing credible AI research and practical experience to business decision-makers.
The podcast attracted 1,413 followers across Apple Podcasts and Spotify. That figure mattered because it showed that listeners were not simply sampling an episode. They were choosing to maintain an ongoing relationship with the show.
Season Five achieved an average episode consumption rate of 67.37%, the strongest of the series. That result indicated that the editorial model became more effective over time, with listeners staying for a greater share of each conversation.
The show developed into a five-season editorial platform connecting Wharton research, Accenture experience and senior business voices. In doing so, it created a durable library of conversations about AI implementation, leadership and organizational change.
“What stood out most was the team’s expertise in podcasting and their willingness to serve as true strategic partners. JAR was thoughtful about challenging assumptions and providing guidance based on what would best serve the audience we were trying to reach.”
The Wharton School team
